Stay on Green!
A Point-Based Behavior Management System (Virtual Tour)
Stage of Literacy Development:
Stage 2: Consolidation / FluencyStage 3: Literacy for Growth
Ages:
7-12
Grade Range:
2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6thFood Groups:
Primary: Classroom Tips Secondary: Motivation for Literacy
Transcript
In my class, my behavior management system is a green card system. At the beginning of every day, the students start on a green card. This is so they know that when they come into the class, every day, we start on a positive note. I believe that that day is going to be a good day. It's their job to stay on green for the day. This takes work. This means following the classroom expectations, being a positive member of our classroom community, and trying your best. Each time a student gets a reminder about the expectations in the classroom, they are asked to turn their card. It goes from green to yellow, yellow to orange, and orange to red. At the end of the day, points are calculated for their green cards. The students that stayed on green are awarded 1 point. If a student is on yellow, they earn 0 points, if they're on orange, they're subtracted a point, and if they're on red they're subtracted 2 points and they write a think sheet about their behavior. This way they reflect on what some of the challenges were through the day and make a plan of how to stay on green the next day. The points in the classroom are accumulated and we keep track of them on the board behind me. Each student has a collection of points that they're allowed to spend in the classroom store. The classroom store opens once in a while; it's a random event and it's unpredictable. The students can use their points to purchase things like a homework pass, 15 minutes on the computer, 15 minutes on the iPad, sit where you would like to for the day, wear your hat in class for the day, eat in class for the day. They can also purchase small prizes: art sets, posters, and little knickknacks. The focus of the behavior management system is positive behavior and positive reinforcement. I want to send a clear and strong message that it pays to be on green. You can see on the point's board behind me that some of the students have accumulated hundreds of points. This is because throughout the year, they've collected their points and they have chosen not to spend them yet. Some students spend their points on a regular basis every time the store opens. It's really up the student how they want to spend their points; they're the ones that earn them. Partway through the year, an event occurred with the point system: inflation. I taught the students about what inflation meant in the real world and that it would happen in our classroom. So one day, the green cards were no longer worth 1 point; they were worth 2 points. They were very excited about this until they realized that an orange card also meant minus 2 points and a red card also meant minus 4 points. Everything doubled. This also meant that if you were earning more, you would have to spend more, so the classroom store prices also increased. You can see this on the chart behind me. I crossed-out the original prices and I wrote the new prices in red. This then became a math lesson.
Related References
Additional Link:
Reading Rockets on Classroom Management: http://www.readingrockets.org/teaching/reading101-course/toolbox/classroom-management
Activity Objective
The goal of Stay on Green!: A Point-Based Behavior Management System (Virtual Tour) is to help students follow classroom expectations, be positive members of the class community, and to encourage them to try their best. This teacher uses a card system with 4 levels: green, yellow, orange, and red, where green is most desirable. Students are allocated points for their behavior and can trade them in for various rewards from the classroom shop or for special privileges like sitting wherever they want for the day. The teacher adds a little twist to the system by introducing the concept of inflation, in which all points are doubled, and subsequently, the cost of the rewards also double.
Quick Tips
Additional Comments:
- Focus on the positive! It is important that the system be discussed with the students and that they agree to it. Collaborate with the students in the implementation of the system, having them share in the creation of classroom expectations. At the beginning of the year, have students sign contracts that they agree to follow the co-constructed classroom expectations and give students the opportunity to share in the evaluation of how well they have adhered to expectations to determine the color card showing on the chart for the day. - Using the green card system is also a great way to help students with their self-regulation. Student must monitor their own behavior and think critically about their decisions as a class and as a community member. This system also empowers students to be responsible and accountable for their actions. - Some students will find the green card system more challenging than others for a variety of reasons (e.g., poor self-regulation, ADHD, etc.) so try not to single them out each and every time for their misbehavior. Praise students when you see them behaving well rather than only pointing out when they misbehave. This will help make the activity more effective and enjoyable for everyone. - From time to time have an everybody wins day that puts a shared responsibility on the class to stay on green for the day, and, if they are successful, there will be some special whole class reward at the end of the day (such as a movie popcorn party). On these special days, be sure to be lenient on the students who have significant self-regulation issues so they do not get in trouble with their peers for spoiling the day for everyone. If those students do have infractions, rather than changing their card color you can take them aside and discuss with them how to avoid having an infraction.
Other Recipes by this Teacher
Real World Class Jobs: Sharing Responsibility in the Classroom (Virtual Tour)
2nd - 6th
Great Expectations!: Co-Constructing Classroom Rules to Build Community (Virtual Tour)
2nd - 6th
Bobbleheads in the Classroom: Building Community through Student Introductions (Virtual Tour)
2nd - 6th
Global Partners Junior DETAILS: Implementing a Cross-Curricular Program (Virtual Tour)
3rd - 6th
Global Partners Junior OVERVIEW: Implementing an Integrated Literacy Approach (Virtual Tour)
3rd - 6th
